Research in Herat Metalworking School Based on Six Key Works

Greater Khorasan and the city of Herat are part of the crucial cultural bases of Iran, especially during the Islamic era and the Middle Ages, which has always been the cradle and platform for the cultivation of all kinds of Iranian and Islamic arts. In the meantime, metalworking and the production of all kinds of functional metalworks with high levels for the nobility and aristocracy was one of the prominent arts of Herat, which, in terms of technical and artistic dimensions, could surpass other schools of metalworking in the Islamic world like the centers of western Iran (Jaziratol-Arab-Mosul). Despite this, Herat was neglected as an effective pole of Khorasan in metalworking. Hence, introducing the Herat metalworking school and technical and aesthetic analysis of four significant works attributed to it is the aim of the article; the leading question of the research is: what are the dimensions and technical and artistic components of the studied works of Herat? The findings suggest that the metalworking center in Herat, in addition to influencing other schools in western Iran (such as Aljazeera-Mosul), introduced new technical and artistic dimensions that were original and distinctive for its time. Production methods include casting, molding, and inlaying (finishing metalwork - placing silver or copper metal on the work’s background), which are some of the innovative methods used in that era’s production of works. In the decoration section, various classes of motifs, narratives, and pictorial themes are utilized, including astronomical concepts, twelve forms, symbols, hunting, music, and wine drinking. This research is of qualitative type and descriptive-analytical research method, and the data gathering is through library studying method.